Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
ChapTEr 1
Basic Game Art Concepts
Some people don't
want to take games seriously. This isn't a lament
against parents lashing out over gore or people who think that games are a waste of time.
It is instead a statement about a popular assumption that making video games doesn't
involve a lot of work. This assumption is a problem in many game schools, whether they
focus on the art, programming, or overall design of games.
In many ways, the art produced for a video game is not “art” in the traditional sense of
“fine art”—content created solely for enjoyment by the senses or for aesthetic value. The art
created for video games is, rather, part of the process of design or “applied art.” But there
are two important reasons why video game art is different from either animation or fine
art. First, game art is interactive for a player. Second, game art is rendered in real time.
Many quests begin not with an instant foray into death and danger, but instead with
an initial gathering of knowledge. Indeed, Sun Tzu's
The Art of War
does not begin
by discussing battle right away, but with a chapter on planning. This is how we will
approach your own quest to be a game character artist—and perhaps your leap from
game consumer to creator.
This chapter covers the following topics:
■
Game design workflows
■
Creating game assets
■
Understanding and optimizing 3D game art
■
Working with game engines
■
Scripting happens
